Will the Hyundai i10 Fluidic get a 1.1 Liter CRDI diesel engine?

Last year, Hyundai India made two big announcements. The first announcement was that the South Korean car maker intended to invest no less than INR 400 crores to set up a diesel manufacturing plant in India, perhaps at Sriperumbudur, off Chennai, where Hyundai currently has its car manufacturing facility. A few months down the line, after the uncertainty over excise duties on diesel cars, Hyundai changed its plans and shelved the setting up of the diesel engine plant.

2012 Hyundai i10 Fluidic Hatchback used as an illustration

Now that the 2012 Union Budget has not announced any excise duty hike specifically on diesel cars to offset the subsidy on diesel, Hyundai is all set to begin work on the diesel engine plant. This diesel engine plant is expected to produce a 1.1 Liter, a 1.4 Liter and 1.6 Liter common rail diesel engines for use in Hyundai cars. Currently, the 1.4 liter and 1.6 liter turbodiesel engines that Hyundai uses in the likes of the i20 hatchback and the Verna Fluidic sedan are being imported into the country.

Now, the interesting bit in this story is that Hyundai also intends to manufacture a 1.1 Liter diesel engine, which perhaps could be used on one of the best selling Hyundai car models, the i10 hatchback. Adding credence to this assertion is the fact that the i10 hatchback is being sold with a diesel engine under the hood in some international markets of the world. Therefore, the 1.1 Liter common rail, turbo diesel engine if manufactured by Hyundai in India, is likely to power the i10 hatchback.

2012 Hyundai i10 Fluidic Hatchback used as an illustration

The i10 hatchback has been a very strong seller for Hyundai in India, with the car being a best selling model for years now even though it was available only with a petrol engine. Now that Hyundai could begin selling this car with a diesel engine, the i10 could turn out to become an even bigger seller, probably challenging the Maruti Swift for market supremacy. Expect an announcement in this regard in the next few months.

Via TheEconomicTimes